Every game plan has a Default playlist in the In Game (Live) tab. It holds the graphic that stays on screen during live play whenever nothing else is running, which is nearly always your scorebug. This article explains how it works and how to set it up well.
What the Default playlist is
Open your game plan and go to the In Game (Live) tab. The Default playlist appears there, shown as Scorebug ... Default. It's different from your other live playlists in a few ways:
It holds one default graphic, nearly always the scorebug.
It has no trigger.
It stays on during live play whenever no other playlist is running.
Other live playlists hand back to it when they finish.
Think of it as the resting state of your broadcast. When there's no goal, card, substitution, milestone or time-triggered playlist on air, viewers see whatever the Default playlist holds.
Why it has no trigger
Most playlists wait for something to happen, such as a goal being scored in LiveScore or a set time passing. The Default playlist doesn't wait for anything. It's simply what plays during live play when no other playlist is running, so it doesn't need a trigger to start.
This also means you don't need to build a separate "show the scorebug" playlist for every moment of the match. The Default playlist covers all the gaps between your event and time playlists.
Setting the default scorebug
The Default playlist's graphic comes from your game plan's theme, like every other graphic in the plan. To check or change it:
Go to the Automation tab and open your game plan.
Select the In Game (Live) tab.
Find the Scorebug ... Default playlist and open its graphic.
Use the Variables tab to set how the scorebug looks and behaves.
If you're using a Rive theme, the game plan needs a default scorebug for in-play automation to work. Without one, your live playlists have nothing to return to.
Scorebug variables
Variables let you control what the scorebug shows without editing the theme. A common one is show stoppage time, which lets the scorebug display added time. The exact variables available depend on your theme's scorebug, so open the Variables tab to see what yours offers. For more detail, see Set graphic variables, update type and transition guards.
Card and substitution events
Card and substitution moments are usually handled by their own live playlists, not by the Default playlist itself. For example, a cards playlist with Red Card and Yellow Card triggers can show the scorebug with the card event as an Update. An Update layers onto the graphic already on air, so the scorebug stays up while the card shows. The graphic takes the incoming fact through its Event variable, so the player and team fill in automatically.
A substitution playlist works the same way: clear everything except the scorebug, show the substitution graphic, then return to the scorebug. See Setting up card and substitution playlists for full examples.
Why live playlists hand back to it
When an event playlist runs, it often takes graphics off screen first. A Hide all action clears every graphic, including the scorebug. If the playlist then ends without bringing the scorebug back, viewers could be left with a clean screen for the rest of play.
That's why live playlists normally finish with one of these actions:
Show scorebug: brings the default scorebug back.
Hide all except scorebug: clears everything else and leaves the scorebug on screen.
If a live playlist doesn't end this way, the app shows advice on it: "A live playlist should end by returning to the scorebug. Add a Show scorebug action as the final step." Look for the orange info icon on the playlist. Learn more in Add an action to an automation playlist.
Tips and common mistakes
Give every item its own start second. Two transitions on the same second can wipe each other, and the app shows a red warning when this happens.
Leave room for animations. Graphics animate in and out, so leave about 2 seconds between items. A Hide all placed exactly on an item's end time can cut its out-animation short.
Want a scoreboard-only feed? You can run a second theme instance whose game plan only uses the default scorebug. See Running a full-graphics feed and a scoreboard-only feed.
Remember Manual. The game plan only runs the graphics automatically when Manual is turned off in the Control Room.
Test before match day. Use Preview a playlist to check a live playlist returns to the scorebug, and Review a match against your game plan to see when the Default playlist is on air.